Conor Coady confident Wrexham can cope with Championship spotlight
Wrexham marked their return to the level after a 43-year absence at Southampton on Saturday when a late Saints double condemned them to a heartbreaking 2-1 defeat.
Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney were not present on the south coast to see Wrexham suffer, perhaps waiting until West Brom's visit to the SToK Racecourse on Saturday for their first taste of Championship action.
There has been inordinate external noise around Wrexham due to their celebrity owners and three successive promotions taking them from the National League to the Championship in record time, but summer addition Coady insists Phil Parkinson's squad can handle the fierce spotlight.
'We're going to cope with it,' said Coady, the 32-year-old England international who was used to Premier League football at Wolves, Everton and Leicester.
'We know what we are. We know how we're going to play and we're here to upset and disrupt a few teams in this division.
'We'll keep on trying to do that. We've shown we can play. We'll keep building, we'll keep improving.
'We have to improve, we have to get better. That's the biggest thing.'
Coady, one of seven players who made their Wrexham debuts at Southampton after heavy summer investment from Reynolds and McElhenney, admits to being shocked by huge interest in the Welsh club.
The 32-year-old watched the friendly against Groningen in the Netherlands last week when 'the people there for Wrexham was unbelievable' and Ollie Palmer – a star of the 'Welcome to Wrexham' documentary series – 'got mobbed'.
Coady said: 'It's amazing to see where this club has gone. I have so much respect for what this club has done since the National League to get to this point.
'But we're at a point now where we don't just enjoy being here. We want to improve and mix ourselves with teams like this (Southampton).
'Maybe go higher, but to do that we have to make sure we're dominant at this level and get to that level as quick as we can.
'What we've got to do is take it one game at a time, but let's enjoy the ride.
'Let's not take anything away from it. Southampton were in the Premier League last season, Wrexham were in League One.
'So we're in a position now where we're fighting with these teams, showing we can play, and showing we've got an idea.'
Wrexham play Championship rivals Hull at home in the first round of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Rhyl Journal
28 minutes ago
- Rhyl Journal
Dave Challinor wants Stockport to be rewarded in Carabao Cup draw
Second-half headers from Kyle Wootton and Nathan Lowe plus Lewis Fiorini's strike secured County victory at Edgeley Park to dump out the Railwaymen, whose late consolation came from Emre Tezgel. Challinor will have a keen eye on Wednesday's draw, which includes Manchester United among the 11 Premier League clubs entering the competition. He said: 'The second-half performance was much better and had much more intent about us. I was disappointed with our first half because of what we wanted the players to do and they didn't do that. 'It was too placid in the first half that we played. I'm delighted to win, that's the aim and hence why we picked the team that we did. Tonight was about progressing and we've done that and hopefully we get rewarded for that with a nice draw.' Lee Bell felt his Crewe side were undone by poor defending for Stockport's first two goals. He said: 'We're obviously disappointed to be knocked out of a competition. We knew we were going to be understrength and then you get here and see the players they had on the team sheet. 'But I think shape-wise and the way we tried to play was good. I've just said to the players if we want to achieve anything, you've got to stop crosses coming into your box and you've got to mark inside the box, because ultimately those two goals have cost us.'
Rhyl Journal
29 minutes ago
- Rhyl Journal
‘Wrexham never give up' – Phil Parkinson celebrates stunning Carabao Cup success
Veteran striker Ollie Palmer put doubt over his future aside by coming off the bench to score twice in stoppage time and snatch a 3-3 draw before the Red Dragons prevailed 5-3 on spot-kicks. It was the Welsh side's first home match of a new season in which they are playing in the second tier for the first time in more than 40 years. Anticipation had been high but, after last weekend's last-gasp defeat at Southampton, it took something extraordinary to avoid another anti-climax. Parkinson said: 'Well, first of all, we show that we never give up. I think the trait of the team and the club over the last three, four years is that. 'I think it's good for the new lads to see that and to say that we're going to go to the end. 'I feel we've got our season off and running. The subs and the penalties were brilliant and I'm so pleased for big Ollie because he's a hero.' You can't beat moments like this 🚀 🔴⚪️ #WxmAFC — Wrexham AFC (@Wrexham_AFC) August 12, 2025 Palmer, 33, played a key role in Wrexham's rise from the National League but fell down the pecking order in the latter stages of last season. That has led to suggestions he could move on but Parkinson retains huge respect for the former AFC Wimbledon forward. Parkinson said: 'He was fantastic. He's been a cult player for us over the years and he conducted himself amazingly well last year when we made changes. 'He wanted to stay and be a part of it, and he was tonight. You can never write anybody off. He couldn't have done any more.' Wrexham took the lead in the 31st minute through Elliot Lee but it was Hull who looked like going through after hitting back through their eye-catching free signing Oli McBurnie and substitutes Joel Ndala and Matt Crooks. But after Palmer's late show it was Ndala who proved the fall guy, hitting the crossbar with his penalty. Hull manager Sergej Jakirovic said: 'It's mixed feelings. I think that we played very good game and until 80-85 minutes we controlled everything. 'But this is a great experience for us for the future because it's not finished before the referee blows the whistle. 'We must continue because I think that we showed a lot of good things in our game. I'm sorry for the players because they put in everything.'
Rhyl Journal
33 minutes ago
- Rhyl Journal
Grant McCann ‘couldn't be more proud' after Doncaster humble Middlesbrough
McCann, who made 11 changes, labelled his side's performance as 'top class', with goals from Ben Close, Damola Ajayi, Robbie Gotts and Tom Nixon seeing Rovers comfortably into the second round. 'There was energy, bite, togetherness and quality,' said McCann, who led Rovers to promotion to League One last season after arriving back at the club for his second spell in charge in May 2023. 'For 20 to 25 minutes in the first half I thought it was one of the best performances I've seen since I have been back at the club in terms of how we controlled the game. 'It's always good to test yourself against top Championship managers and coaches and from my team, I couldn't be more proud. 'I said to them in there, we don't have a second team, we have a full squad of 23, 24 first-team players – and we showed that.' The defeat is a first at Middlesbrough for head coach Rob Edwards, who described the heavy setback as 'painful'. He said: 'I've spoken to the lads, they know exactly how I feel. The first thing I want to start with is acknowledging our supporters, how they were with us tonight. We didn't hold our end of the bargain up. 'Doncaster have come here and played extremely well but made loads of changes, a whole team of changes and deservedly won the game. That's not acceptable.'
